In a worrying string of arrests over the past week, authorities have arrested four doctors and several other associates linked to terror activities in two separate incidents, exposing a growing white-collar terror ecosystem operating from within professional circles.
One of the set of arrests, which took place in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir, was accompanied by a seizure of over 2,900 kgs of bomb-making material, rifles, pistols, and other suspicious material. The other arrests, made in Gujarat, carried recoveries of poison-formulating material and pistols.
Both sets of arrests took place within a day of each other, but authorities haven’t said whether they are linked, so far.
Investigations revealed that these radicalised doctors were in contact with foreign handlers operating from Pakistan and other countries and even banned outfits like ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGUH).
These arrests of four doctors within four days point to a disturbing trend – highly educated professionals leveraging their positions to further terror agendas. Officials have warned that these professionals had contact with international handlers and were actively preparing both chemical and firearms-based attacks in different parts of the country.
DR ADEEL RATHER ARRESTED FROM UP
The first arrest came last week when an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the personal locker of a senior resident doctor at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. Adeel Ahmad Rather, 27, a resident of Qazigund, Anantnag, had been working at GMC Anantnag until October 24, 2024.
Police said Rather had links to JeM and AGUH. The discovery followed the appearance of JeM-supporting posters in Srinagar on October 27. CCTV footage traced the activity to Rather. He was subsequently tracked to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and taken into custody November 6. An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
DR MUZAMMIL SHAKEEL ARRESTED FROM HARYANA
The third arrest involved Dr Muzamil Shakeel, a Kashmiri doctor and faculty at the Al Falah University, who was nabbed on November 9 by a joint team of Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana police.
Authorities recovered 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, rifles, pistols, timers, and batteries from his rented room in Dhauj. Dr Muzammil allegedly concealed explosives in suitcases and has suspected links to JeM.
Police also recovered a Krinkov assault rifle with three magazines, 83 rounds, a pistol with eight bullets, two magazines, and two empty shell casings from a Swift car, which was traced based on the information shared by Dr Muzammil.
Faridabad Police Commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said Shakeel had links to banned terror groups and had previously posted JeM-supporting posters in Srinagar. His arrest was facilitated by leads provided by Rather.
DR SHAHEEN SHAHID ARRESTED FROM FARIDABAD
The joint police teams also arrested Dr Shaheen Shahid, a resident of Lal Bagh in Lucknow from Faridabad in connection with the foiled terror plot.
Shaheen, a woman doctor at Al Falah University, allegedly had links with Dr Muzammil.
Police recovered a rifle and live cartridges from her car, which Muzammil reportedly used to transport weapons. Investigators suspect both doctors were collaborating in a wider terror conspiracy connected to JeM.
DR AHMED SAIYED ARRESTED FROM GUJARAT
Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, 35, from Hyderabad, was arrested by Gujarat ATS on November 7 in a case that sent shockwaves across security agencies. Saiyed, a China-trained MBBS doctor, had been preparing ricin, a lethal protein derived from castor seeds, and had conducted months-long reconnaissance of crowded public spaces, including Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, Ahmedabad’s Naroda fruit market, and the RSS office in Lucknow.
Saiyed was apprehended with two Glock pistols, a Beretta, 30 live cartridges, and four litres of castor oil near Adalaj, Ahmedabad. Officials said he was in contact with Abu Khadim of the ISIS-Khorasan Province. He faces charges under UAPA, the Arms Act, and Indian Penal Code provisions. It is not yet known whether the arrest of Saiyed and his associates is linked to the arrests made by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir polices.
– Ends
(With inputs from Brijesh Mishra and Ashraf Wani.)
Published By:
Sahil Sinha
Published On:
Nov 10, 2025
